Noli Eala out as SMC consultant for basketball operations

MANILA, Philippines — Noli Eala, San Miguel Corporation’s consultant for basketball operations, has been assigned to another position within the company, the firm announced on Thursday.

In a statement sent to the media, SMC said that Eala, a former PBA commissioner, has been tapped to “to help out in the company’s infrastructure businesses as various projects are now either in full swing or at the development stages.”

Before the reassignment, Eala had a hand on the day-to-day operations of the SMC-owned teams San Mig Coffee, Ginebra San Miguel and Petron in the PBA.

ADVERTISEMENT

SMC assured the public, though, that the “basketball teams will continue to run smoothly despite Eala’s new role in the organization.”

Eala recently got a lot of flak from fans online for the various coaching moves among three SMC teams — especially after Al Francis Chua’s “leave of absence” as coach of Ginebra.

The statement noted Chua’s move to step down was due to “personal reasons.”

Eala took to Twitter his thoughts on Tuesday, saying: “Certainly don’t appreciate all d hate I’m receiving, mostly unfair. Frankly many haters are barking up the wrong tree.”